POLITICO Claims DeSantis Has Never Faced a Hurricane, Sally Hit in 2020
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – POLITICO writer Matt Dixon wrote a fake news piece claiming that Gov. Ron DeSantis “still hasn’t faced one of the toughest challenges a Florida leader can encounter: a hurricane.”
“DeSantis faces the true test of any Florida governor,” the report is titled.
In a Tweet, POLITICO’s news account repeated the line: “But he still hasn’t faced one of the toughest challenges a Florida leader can encounter: a hurricane.”
Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, causing flooding, storm surge, and wind across coastal Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
At the time, DeSantis tackled the crisis, having declared a state of emergency for a plethora of counties that were expected to be impacted in mid-September 2020.
“Today, Governor DeSantis announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted an emergency declaration to Florida for Hurricane Sally. This declaration will provide important resources and assistance from the federal government, as well as free up funding sources for emergency protective measures,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said. Read here for more preparation actions taken.
In early October 2020, after the storm hit, DeSantis announced individual assistance for some counties impacted by Sally. Read more here.
“I want to thank President Trump for his steadfast commitment to Florida following Hurricane Sally. The people of Northwest Florida are resilient, and these individual assistance programs will go a long way to help their rebuilding process. From day one of my administration, we have been committed to hurricane recovery, and we are continuing that commitment by working with the President and FEMA to provide these critical resources to Floridians who need them.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis, Oct. 2, 2020
In response to Dixon’s report, Christina Pushaw, rapid response director for the DeSantis campaign, said, “Read that tweet again and ask yourself where you went wrong in life to end up doing this kind of ‘journalism.'”
Dixon does not mention Hurricane Sally in his article.
Hurricane Dorian, which affected Florida in late 2019, was another storm not mentioned by Dixon.
However, previously, Dixon said “DeSantis has been all over TV for Dorian.”
Dixon’s report comes as Hurricane Ian makes its final approach to Florida’s Gulf Coast. Visit flvoicenews.com for updates from Florida’s state officials, check with local authorities to determine if you must evacuate your region, and keep up to date with Florida’s hurricane briefings, announcements, and weather warnings as Ian comes closer to making landfall.
